


heavy with hoping

by Archadian_Skies



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Bakery, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Daniel & Simon (Detroit: Become Human) are Twins, Leo Manfred Redemption, M/M, Meet-Cute, Past Drug Addiction, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Recovery, Redemption, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:14:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28027605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archadian_Skies/pseuds/Archadian_Skies
Summary: He can’t be blamed for assuming Simon’s brother would be similar to him, though perhaps on second thought he really shouldn’t have assumed such things given he and Markus are nothing alike- human vs android thing aside.“It’s you.” Yeah he’s really eloquent, a modern day poet. “Uh, Danny- Simon’s brother.”“Okay firstly, only he gets to call me Danny; it’s Daniel to everyone else.”
Relationships: Daniel & Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Daniel/Leo Manfred, Leo Manfred & Markus
Comments: 17
Kudos: 28





	heavy with hoping

**Author's Note:**

  * For [disterra (mutantrentboy)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mutantrentboy/gifts).



> For the Tumblr prompt: "things you said after you kissed me"

Simon is an android and an angel and the sole reason Leo has some semblance of a will to live. It’s not an exaggeration; Leo Manfred would be dead in a ditch somewhere and maybe Carl would’ve felt the whisper of guilt but it would’ve been a passing, fleeting thing surely. That he’s here now, whole and well and certainly not on drugs is a testament to the PL600’s kindness and patience and empathy. He can’t be blamed for assuming Simon’s brother would be similar to him, though perhaps on second thought he really shouldn’t have assumed such things given he and Markus are nothing alike- human vs android thing aside. 

They meet completely by accident- he’s picking up an order at Bellini’s for Markus, and his nose picks up the smell of baked goods that leads him to Essie’s Bakery. It’s not uncommon for him to see Simon’s face everywhere, given the PL600 face is _the_ most popular android visage, but he knows _this_ Simon-face belongs to Simon’s brother because Simon told him his brother worked at a bakery in Greektown. 

“It’s you.” Yeah he’s really eloquent, a modern day poet. “Uh, Danny- Simon’s brother.”

“Okay firstly, only _he_ gets to call me Danny; it’s Daniel to everyone else.” A pause as he looks him over. “Even the Manfred brother of Markus. Secondly, don’t announce that to the world.”

“Oh, yeah, uh sorry, yeah the whole-” vague awkward gesture, “hostage thing. Guns, SWAT unit, Markus’ cooler CyberLife brother.”

“Did the concussion he gave you take away the ability to shut up?” Daniel cocks a brow and Leo sputters a laugh.

“Nah, I’ve always been a mess long before the concussion. Well deserved, actually.” He shrugs. “Man everything smells amazing in here.”

“Yes, it’s a bakery, it’s meant to smell like that.” Daniel drawls, brow still cocked but he’s smirking a bit. “You after anything specific? Something for you and your father?”

“Something for me, and not my father because he can go fuck himself.” Leo looks at the displays, eyeing the blueberry Danish pastries. “I’ll get one of those, and a _pain au chocolat._ ” He sets the Bellini box on the counter to pat himself down for his phone. 

“You running his errands now too?” The android carefully packs the pastries into separate paper bags. “He has, like, staff to do that doesn’t he?”

“Markus? Yeah well uh-” Leo places his phone to the eftpos machine, “I’m- I’m tryin’ to be good. I’m tryin’ to be, y’know, decent. Not a wreck. Not a total write-off as a human being. It’s a nice thing to do for your brother, y’know?” 

“Is he being insufferable?” Daniel’s grinning and Leo laughs sheepishly.

“Fuck you don’t know the half of it. He’s so fuck awful when he gets all poetic and artsy with Carl.” He rolls his eyes, gratefully accepting the bag of goods. “If I don’t get out of there I’ll choke to death from the altitude sickness, given all their high and mighty talks.”

Daniel laughs loudly and Leo finds himself smiling like a moron. “Simon tells it to me differently.”

“Yeah well he’s-” it tastes sour on his tongue, “mad crazy about Markus which is a shame because he-”

“-deserves better.” Daniel finishes with a heavy sigh. “God I _know,_ right? Idiot wears his heart on his sleeve, basically appointed himself live-in carer for _your_ father and Markus is like ‘oh, he’s a very good friend of mine’.” He makes a frustrated noise and Leo, oh Leo knows he has found his people right here with Daniel.

“We gotta do better, Daniel.” Leo leans on the counter, expression grave. “We gotta matchmake your brother with someone else otherwise we’re both doomed.”

“Oh, deal.” Daniel shakes his hand and Leo can’t help but think it feels like the start of something wonderful.

* * *

It’s totally going to work; Daniel bakes a box of amazing pastries, Simon takes it to the DPD as a snack offering for the important meeting with Jericho and that gives him the perfect window to talk to the Anderson brothers. Either of them are admirable choices, really, because Connor is a puppy and all sunshine and warm smiles, and Ronan is just about the coolest clash of Terminator meets Fitzwilliam Darcy. Leo knows he’s not exactly being fair to Markus, but if Simon’s been right there at his side pining so openly, so _desperately_ and the best Markus can do is smile and thank him for being a great friend, then, well, there’s no helping him.

What Leo doesn’t count on is how much he enjoys dropping by Essie’s Bakery to chat with Daniel. He’s hilarious. He’s all black, scathing, scalding humour and witty banter. He’s nothing like Simon, in the way that Leo is nothing like Markus despite being brothers. And even that term, that word, shouldn’t really apply to either of them. Simon and Daniel are both PL600s and that’s about it, and he’s a human and Markus is an android but though he’s blood related to Carl Manfred, Carl thinks of Markus more as his son than Leo. So, y’know. Family is what you make of it, and Leo’s happier being the brother to a revolutionary than the son of an ageing artist who thought throwing money was the best way to make his son go away. 

“Hey Danny.” He greets, grinning when Daniel scoffs at the nickname.

“Hey Leo. Here to be a pain in my ass again?”

“I pay you for the privilege.” He waves his phone, and Daniel snorts back a laugh. “Did some research on what the guys at the precinct like, so you know what stuff to make.”

“How’d you manage that?” Daniel frowns. “Thought you’d get your ass kicked at the precinct since they’re so sick of seeing you.”

“Well they are but I have ulterior motives that align with some of theirs, so.” Leo gestures airily. “I ain’t snitching on my sources, but here’s the list.” He holds out the phone and Daniel takes it and their hands brush and Leo thinks it’s accurate to say his heart jumped into his throat. He’s so touch-starved any contact is a Regency period romance moment and he loathes it. Maybe he’s been spending too much time with Simon, maybe he’s picking up _pining hopelessly_ as his hobby too. 

* * *

The bakery closes at 6pm and Leo’s feet carry him there some days and Leo’s heart yearns for it on the others. It’s _stupid_ , it’s _annoying_ to be so pathetic but on the other hand, it’s nice to feel something instead of existing as a void fueled by anger and envy and desperation. Okay and yes it’s when Daniel’s supposed to throw away the stuff that’s two days old, and that means Leo can eat whatever and pocket the rest for the other poor sorry fuckers at rehab with him.

It’s another one of those days and here he is, sitting on the counter while Daniel sweeps and goes through the motions of closing up the shop.

“Will it be weird?” Leo asks, waiting until the android frowns questioningly before continuing. “If Simon chooses Connor, I mean? Like, the guy was responsible for having you shot to pieces. Then you’ll have to deal with him and Simon being all, y’know, _close_.”

He’s quiet for a while, resuming his sweeping in slow methodical strokes but his brows are furrowed and his LED is yellow. “Is it weird for you, then, to be in the same house as the guy who replaced you as your father’s son? The same guy who shoved you and gave you that concussion?”

Turnabout is fair play, and he’s been played. Leo shrugs. “Yeah. It’s fucking weird but I deserved it- the concussion only, I mean. Not the part about being replaced, but that didn’t have anything to do with Markus. He didn’t make that decision.” It’s one of the things he’s been hashing out with his therapist and it’s been like trying to swallow a cactus but sometimes that’s just what the truth is; bitter and sharp and painful. “I guess when we do shitty things we just have to live with it.” It weighs heavy in the air, but he feels lighter for having said it. 

“Connor did what was right- he prioritised Emma’s life over mine and saved her.” There’s a faraway look in Daniel’s eyes, something sad and lost and distant. “He wasn’t even really Connor then, so if my brother falls in love with him now then that’s perfectly fine. I’d be happy for both of them.”

“And we’re, what, the castoffs?” Leo takes one of the almond croissants and bites into it, the icing sugar dusting his shirt and jeans like snow. Daniel shrugs, handing him a napkin.

“I guess. We’re the villains in the hero’s story, Leo. There’s nothing written for us after we’ve played our part in their stories.” He hands him a small box and helps him pack the rest of the pastries and there’s something profound about it all, that they’re here together, two villains in someone else’s story just muddling their way through life. He’s right- there’s nothing left for the villains once they’ve served their role in the hero’s tale.

“Well whoever wrote my story is an unimaginative prick who made my addiction my sole character trait.” Leo scoffs, and Daniel chuckles, shaking his head. 

“Mine wrote me like a Greek tragedy.” Spring is here, thawing the snow and slowly stirring the earth back to life and Leo thinks there’s something hopeful about this moment right here, like ice melting away to reveal something new and vulnerable, ready to grow. 

“Then it’s up to us, isn’t it? This is our story. No shitty writer involved.” That gets a laugh out of him, and Leo feels himself grinning until his cheeks ache.

* * *

“Those are for the brunch tomorrow, so hands off.” Daniel warns when Leo steps into the bakery and immediately eyes a tray of strawberry tarts on the counter. “I counted them, Leo, I know how many are there.”

“Yeah yeah.” He rolls his eyes, hopping over the counter and joining him behind it. “You excited?”

“I am dreading every moment.” He says dryly and Leo snorts. “I’m only agreeing to this because Si asked me and-” he makes a frustrated noise, throwing his hands up in an exasperated gesture.

“And no one can say no to Simon.” 

“Except your brother.” Daniel cocks a brow and Leo frowns.

“It’s not that he’s said no, it’s more that he hasn’t said _anything_ \- that’s the issue.” He clarifies and Daniel shakes his head, leaving to check on something in the ovens. Leo leans over and snatches a tart, stuffing it in his mouth and only just managing to chew and swallow the evidence when Daniel returns. “Any clue which Anderson brother’s tripped and fallen head over heels for him?”

“He’s being very tight-lipped about it all.” The android sighs. “Which is fair I guess. It’s really not our business.”

“It totally is. Not entirely. Just, sort of a little bit.” Leo mutters, pointedly returning Daniel’s unimpressed stare. 

“It is.” Conceding with a sigh, Daniel places a tray of cookies on a cooling rack. “That’s why I’m here after hours baking stuff I can’t even eat.”

“That and not only do we suck at socialising, but people hate us, so, y’know.” He rolls his eyes. “Here we are.”

“I mean,” Daniel says slowly, “I’m here because I’m baking for the brunch tomorrow. Why exactly are you here too, Leo?” 

“I’m providing moral support.” 

“You’re so full of shit.”

“And pastries!” Leo quips, pinching another tart from the tray and cramming it into his mouth before Daniel can stop him.

“You asshole!” The android lunges for him and Leo slides off the counter, trying to dodge him but ending up falling flat on his face. Daniel hauls him back upright and gives him a rough shake, face twisted in annoyance but Leo can see it, he can see his lips twitching up at the corners and so he decides to hell with it all and presses his mouth against his. It’s not like the movies, it’s not magical or breathtaking it’s just a bit wet and the angle a bit off since he essentially crashed their faces together but it’s still special. It’s still the most meaningful thing he’s felt in years. They part and just stare at each other and the silence yawns wide between them but there’s nothing awkward about it. Daniel’s still holding him by the front of his shirt, but his expression is one of surprise, LED blinking yellow-red-yellow-red-yellow and holding. 

“Can we-” his voice crackles with static, “is this alright? Are you sure you want this? I’m- you know I’m-”

“I know.” Leo nods and this feels real, this feels like it matters, like _he_ matters. “And you know who I am. Our story, remember?” Daniel closes his eyes, LED cycling back to a clear, calm blue like the colour of his eyes when he opens them again. He leans in and the kiss is gentler this time, less of a crash and more soft, more warm, more perfect and promising more to come. 

“Our story.”

**Author's Note:**

> [I'm still on this hellsite.](http://archadianskies.tumblr.com)   
> 


End file.
